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Real Madrid target Paulo Dybale is willing to join FC Barcelona, according to reports from Spain. A person close to the player has reportedly revealed Italian media that the striker would like to play for the Azulgranas.

Apparently, Dybala has a very good relationship with his country-man Leo Messi, a person he looks after, and his wish is to join him at Barca.

Los Blancos had reportedly made Dybala one of their priority signings, as they believe he would be the perfect back-up for Karim Benzema. However, Juventus are not willing to let their rising star leave, and they are not ready to accept less than 40 million euros. Both Barcelona and Madrid believe that price is too high for a player who will not be a guaranteed starter.

Other European giants are also eyeing the 22-year-old, including Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain.

Dybala joined Juventus last summer on a 35-million-euro move. He is completing a brilliant season, becoming a guaranteed starter and even sending Alvaro Morata to the bench. He has scored 13 goals in 27 appearances this season.

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Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino says he would be interested in taking Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale back to the north London club if the opportunity arises.

The 26-year-old left the White Hart Lane club in 2013 after six years to join Los Blancos.

At the time, Real said the fee paid for the player was 91 million euros, less than the 96 million euros paid to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United in 2009. But in documents published by Football Leaks on Thursday, the actual figure was 100 million euros – making the Welshman the most expensive player in the world.

The documents also revealed that Spurs have the first option to sign Bale until the summer of 2019. If a Premier League club makes an offer for him, Los Blancos must inform Spurs, who will have 72 hours to match the offer. Should they do so, Bale would return to the club.

Asked about whether he is interested in bringing the star back to the Premier League, Pochettino said he is exactly the type of player he is interested in.

“If we have the option to sign him, why not? He’s a great player and a player that can improve our squad. This is the kind of profile that we find,” the Argentinean boss stated.

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Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has slammed FIFA over the transfer ban handed to Los Blancos and Atletico de Madrid.

Both clubs were banned from registering new players for the next two transfer windows after the world governing body found that they have breached rules over the signing of players under the age of 18 from overseas.

It is a similar punishment to the one handed down to Barcelona, which expired this month, allowing players such as Arda Turan and Alex Vidal to play for the club having signed last summer.

Speaking to Omnisport, Calderon did not hold back on his thoughts on FIFA, saying: “I think FIFA should be more flexible with the interpretation of the rule.

“Almost all the children come here to fulfil a dream, to forget a difficult situation. And here, they can have a hope. During my nine years in Real Madrid, the club has given everything to them in terms of their sport and personal education.

“We take care of them given an opportunity, so maybe there are some cases where Madrid has broken the rules but I think FIFA should manage this matter with more flexibility.”

He also gave his thoughts on the recent appointment of Zinedine Zidane, saying the new boss is inexperienced to lead a dressing room full of egos.

He commented: “He doesn’t have any experience, just training a year-and-a-half in a third division team. He was a great player which gives him a huge advantage to know how to manage these kinds of players, he knows how it is working in a changing room with a lot of stars.”

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Keylor Navas visited Spanish television show El Hormiguero on Thursday night and he astonished everyone with his incredible skills with a spinning top.

The presenter of the program, Pablo Motos, confessed he had called Sergio Ramos -husband of his co-presenter Pilar Rubio- and it was the Real Madrid defender who told him he should ask Navas to play the spinning top life.

When asked, the Los Blancos goalkeeper didn’t hesitate and proved he is a master in this field. Don’t miss this video:

Here is a longer version:

And another one in better quality:

Navas explained he used to play with the spinning top when he was a kid in Costa Rica, and that is how he ended up becoming an expert.

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Real Madrid are one of the clubs interested in signing Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski, according to the German club’s president Franz Beckenbauer.

The Poland international joined the Bavarian giants from Borussia Dortmund in 2014 and has established himself as one of the most dangerous forwards in the world. He averages a goal every 1.5 games for the Allianz Arena side and played a key role in them winning the Bundesliga last season.

With manager Pep Guardiola set to leave the club at the end of the current campaign, speculation has started about whether leading players could also up and leave in search of a new challenge.

And media reports suggest there would be no shortage of bidders for Lewandowski should he become available. The likes of Premier League big spenders Manchester City and Chelsea would have no problem digging into their deep pockets, while PSG could be on the lookout for a new striker should Zlatan Ibrahomovic leave.

Speaking to DPA, Beckenbauer admitted Los Blancos were also keen on the player.

“Robert Lewandowski has been mentioned as a possible candidate for Real Madrid,” he commented.
He also quashed rumours fellow forward Thomas Muller could leave, saying: “He has assured he wants to continue at Bayern, which will make the fans want him even more.”

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Real Madrid have always claimed that Gareth Bale cost 91 million euros. However, Football Leaks has revealed that Los Blancos actually paid Tottenham Hotspur almost 101 million to sign the Welsh winger.

This website has leaked the full transfer documents of Bale’s move to Madrid back in the summer of 2013. The contract leaked reveals that the Welshman actually cost 99,743,542 euros, plus a solidarity fee of 1,015,875, making a total 100,759,417 euros.

Los Merengues had always claimed Bale had cost less than Cristiano Ronado in order to appease the Portuguese. In fact, British journalist Jonathan Northcroft has recently revealed that he was asked not to mention the subject in an interview with Bale “because Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t like to see that other player cost more than him.”

That was so important for Los Blancos that they included a clause in the contract that forbid Tottenham to disclose any financial details of the deal. Point 15 of the agreement explains that only Real Madrid can inform the press about the cost of the transfer, and that they would claim it was 91 million.

“The parties acknowledge that Real Madrid shall issue a press release in which they only economic details given will be that the price of the operation is the amount of 78,171,930 Pounds Sterling. Tottenham agrees that it shall not issue any press release in which it refers to the economic aspects of this agreement,” the contract reads.

The price of the Welshman could be even higher than 101 million, since the contract shows that Los Merengues renounced to receive from Tottenham the amount Spurs owed them for Raphael Van der Vaart’s transfer. The Dutch reportedly cost 10.3 million euros.

Bale’s agent demands an investigation

Bale’s agent Jonathan Barnett has called for an investigation following this leak. He has called the reports “outrageous” and demanded “an inquiry and an independent investigation.”

“I think it’s disgraceful that people can get hold of this sort of stuff. It shows complete disregard for both clubs and the player,” he told the Daily Telegraph.

In the past months, Football Leaks has also revealed the contracts of Neymar, Martial and Pedro Leon among other, plus several documents from Doyen Investment Fund that operates mainly in Spain and Portugal.

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The head of the French Football Federation (FFF), Noel Le Graet, says Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has shown stupid behaviour ‘like a donkey’ but admits he deserves a second chance.

The 27-year-old has been suspended from the national side while he is subject of an ongoing blackmail case against an international team mate. Towards the end of last year, Benzema was named in a case that saw attempts to extort money from France and Lyon playmaker Matieu Valbuena to get rid of a sex tape he was involved in.

Benzema has been ordered not to communicate with Valbuena while the case is carried out and he will not be selected for national duty – a blow for him considering the European Championships next summer are being held in his native France.

Speaking to Paris Breizh Media, Le Graet stated: “Maybe I have protected Karim excessively in this matter, but I really like him and we all make mistakes. He got carried away by stupidity in this case. He has been stupid like a donkey. But I don’t believe in lecturing people.”

“There are good and bad people in all environments, among teachers, among businessmen, anywhere. Benzema comes from a difficult environment and he got carried away. Karim is a guy I really like. People talk to me about the way he expresses himself, but we take everyone as they are. Football is like that.”

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Real Madrid have topped Deloitte’s Football Money League for the 11th year in a row.

The report showed Los Blancos enjoyed revenues of 577 million euros for the 2014-15 season despite missing out on the major honours.  The figure was an increase of 28 million combined to last year.

The top 20 clubs in the Money League posted revenues totaling 6.6 billion euros – up 8% on the previous year.

Breaking down Real’s figures, the report showed business income increase 10% over the 12-month period to 247.3 million euros thanks to Los Blancos’ numerous business interests. Match day revenue rose 8% to 129.8 million euros thanks to an increase in attendances and VIP ticket sales. TV income amounted to 199.9 million euros, a very slight decrease, perhaps explained by the fact Real failed to reach the Champions League final having won it the previous season.

Speaking about the numbers, Dan Jones, executive director for Deloitte’s Sports Business Group, said: “Real Madrid had a strong financial performance, boosted by the growth of their business income.”

Elsewhere, La Liga rivals Barcelona featured second in the list boosted by their treble success last season. They posted revenues of 560 million euros. Manchester United’s return to the Champions League saw them rise to third with revenues of 519.5 million euros, somewhat ahead of fourth-placed PSG with 480 million euros.

 

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Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo and Brazilian model Alessandra Ambrosio appear in the last cover of GQ magazine posing top less and showing their good shape.

The footballer and the model looked wonderful in the photo-shoot that took place last October, although it hasn’t been published until now.

In the interview with GQ, Ronaldo shared his thoughts about his future and hinted he could end up playing in the United States: “For now I want to keep playing at Madrid at a great level, but I don’t rule out the possibility of living in the United States one day and playing there. The MLS has grown and is a very attractive league,” he said.

After the photo-shoot session, Ronaldo had shared a video of him and Ambrosio on Twitter, with both talking about the project:

The Los Blancos star confessed “it was amazing filming with Alessandra, she is fantastic, she does a fantastic job.”

The pair certainly look to have good feeling. Ronaldo has not had a official girlfriend since he broke up with model Irina Shayk. Could this be the start of a new relationship?

cristiano-ronaldo-alessandra-ambrosio-gq

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Former Real Madrid forward Antonio Cassano admits his career at the highest level was hurt by his own lack of hard work but he has no regrets.

The 33-year-old plys his trade for Sampdoria where he is enjoying a renaissance following unsuccessful spells at Los Blancos, AC Milan and Inter Milan.

The Italian played for Madrid for two seasons but never really established himself in the side. Shortly after he signed, his poor eating habits lead to him gaining weight – something Los Blancos were not happy about. When compatriot Fabio Capello took the reigns, Cassano had a spectacular falling out with him.

In the end, the striker made just 19 league appearances scoring two goals. He missed four months of his second season with an ankle injury and when he left, then-president Ramon Calderon said Cassano’s attitude had been a problem.

Speaking to Mediaset, Cassano stated: “Let’s say I ruined it for myself. I’ve always been a layabout – I’ve never done anything to help me produce my best. But I’m okay with that. I’m happy. I love it here in Genoa and I want to end my career with Sampdoria.”

The forward said he knows it will be a tall order to get back into the Italy squad but will work hard to put himself into contention for the Euros this summer.

“It’s a one in a billion chance but I want to give it a go because Conte doesn’t shut the door to anyone. My attitude has changed in training too. I want to try but if I don’t make it I’ll cheer Italy on at the Euros from the outside,” he commented.

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